Written by Pepe Demarest, Pastoral Intern
Building Community: "We value strength in diversity and strive to build a beloved community by actively inviting our neighbors to share in God’s mission." I am really proud to have been part of the community of Christ the King for the past two years. When a church picks Building Community as one of its four “Core Values,” there is a commitment to evangelism that is so much more than just telling the story “of Jesus and his glory.” It is a commitment to spreading the Gospel as Jesus did. By being present with all kinds of people, by hosting and being hosted by people like himself as well as those outside his cultural bubble, Jesus showed the Father’s love by loving the diversity he knew in the Trinity. This is our God and the church of God is a reflection of that diversity. This does not mean we impose our values on others, rather we appreciate the way God shows up in difference. Building community is about cultural humility and curiosity. When I think of how the CtK community welcomed me to this place and let me tell my truth, I see how you build this community. Two years ago, I was submerged into the waters of this congregation. The Monday “Bible Study” welcomed me even though I wasn’t a long-time member or retired; I marveled at the partnerships you had developed with the universal church in the Global Mission Partners; Cristo Rey welcomed me even though my Spanish is deplorable! When you consider the 14 Social Ministry Opportunities listed on our website and see all of the Local Mission Partners, it is clear CtK is already a healthy outward-looking church. And then the dual pandemics hit. COVID-19 made the world rethink what community means. Families were separated from each other for their own safety, and our worshiping community needed to find creative ways to connect, because we were “Apart for now-Together for good.” The other pandemic affecting our larger community is racism, which until the killing of George Floyd, was not something that most whites thought much about. But you, Christ the King, were willing to examine how privilege hurts others. You engaged in book groups on racism and commissioned a working group to become more of an anti-racist congregation. It is hard not to be grateful for how you opened the building to CPY, to neighbors who were most affected by both of these pandemics. As I conclude my internship, my pride for this community will go with me. Moving to in-person worship may feel awkward. In this transition, you may yearn to go back to a normal that never was, but I pray that you remember how much God has blessed you and that you continue to do the great work you have begun. This poem by Maya Angelou was shared at the virtual prayer tent last week and I share it with you as a blessing. Continue By Maya Angelou Into a world which needed you My wish for you Is that you continue Continue To be who and how you are To astonish a mean world With your acts of kindness Continue To allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart Continue In a society dark with cruelty To let the people hear the grandeur Of God in the peals of your laughter Continue To let your eloquence Elevate the people to heights They had only imagined Continue To remind the people that Each is as good as the other And that no one is beneath Nor above you Continue To remember your own young years And look with favor upon the lost And the least and the lonely Continue To put the mantel of your protection Around the bodies of The young and defenseless Continue To take the hand of the despised And diseased and walk proudly with them In the high street Some might see you and Be encouraged to do likewise Continue To plant a public kiss of concern On the cheek of the sick And the aged and infirm And count that as a Natural action to be expected Continue To let gratitude be the pillow Upon which you kneel to Say your nightly prayer And let faith be the bridge You build to overcome evil And welcome good Continue To ignore no vision Which comes to enlarge your range And increase your spirit Continue To dare to love deeply And risk everything For the good thing Continue To float Happily in the sea of infinite substance Which set aside riches for you Before you had a name Continue And by doing so You and your work Will be able to continue Eternally
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September 2023
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Christ the King Lutheran Church
1900 7th Street NW New Brighton, MN 55112 Phone: 651-633-4674 Email: info@lifeatctk.org Office Hours: 9 am - 2 pm Mon - Thurs or by appointment Sunday Schedule Sunday Morning Worship at 9:30 am 12 pm Cristo Rey Servicio en Español |